Boiler-feeder.



No. 843,706. I PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

- J. F. SBNTER.

BOILER FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT-29. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Sfeaiiz.

To Pump.

Gazzerafar.

J/Zzfer line.

Wihwcoeo 2 PATENTED FEB. 2

E. SENTEE.

= EOILEE EEEDEE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.29, 1906.

2 SEEETS-SHEET 2.

:llll

- 1; ha eoaev! UNITE STATES PATENT erosion JOHN F. SENTER, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGN OR TO SENTER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHAT TANOOGA, TENNESSEE, A CORPO- RATION OF TENNESSEE.

BOILER-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed October 29,1906. Serial No. 341,064.

10 [6 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. SENTER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chattanooga, county of Hamilton, State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Poiler-Feeders and Low-Water Alarms, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, showing my invention arranged in connection with a steam generator. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the main parts of the device, and Figs. 8 and 4 are detail views showing a slight modifica tion.

The object of this invention is to provide simple means for automatically controlling the feed-pump, whereby the same will be set into operation whenever the water reaches a predetermined level in the generator.

A further object is to adapt one part of my invention to a low-water alarm which may be used in connection with the feed-controller or independently of the same, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

To the accomplishment of ,these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which the same reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, a designates the usual steamline, which leads from the steam-space of the generator to the feed-pump, this pump not being shown. At a suitable point in this line is inserted a throttle-valve, consisting of a casing b, a vertical stem 0 working therethrough and carrying a pair of balanced valve-disks d. This valve-stem is normally pressed upward by a coil-spring e, inclosed in a casing depending from the casing 5, this spring engaging the lower end of the stem through the medium of a collar or shoe f. The lower end of the spring engages, through the medium of another shoe g, the upward projecting end of a screw-plug h, which closes the lower end of the depending casing and is adapted to regulate the tension of the spring. To protect this plug against disarrangement by mischievous or evil-disposed persons, it is inclosed in a screw-cap i, and in order to blow out any foreign matter that may settle into the casing, and thereby interfere with the action of the spring, I provide this depending casing with a small blow-off cock The upper end of the stem extends up through a stuffing-box k, on which is mounted a yoke Z, whose upper portion is shaped to form the lower end or head of a cylinder'm. The stem (2 extends up into this cylinder and is there provided with a piston n, which is adapted to work vertically in the cylinder To drain off any water that may leak down past the piston," I provide a drain-pipe 0. Leading into the top of the cylinder is a pipe p, whose other end communicates with a valve-casing q.

A valve-casing q is supported on and communicates, through a lateral passage 1', with a vertical tank 8, which is mounted at a convenient point about one foot above the normal water-line of the boiler and which has its lower end in communication with the boiler at said normal water-level by means of a pipe t. l/Vorking through suitable stuflingboxes in the valve-casing g are two independent valve-stems a and o, the former being provided with a valve to, which is adapted to close communication between the passage 7" and the pipe 1), while the stem 1) is provided with a valve 00, which is adapted to close communication between the valve-chamber and an exhaust-passage (1 The stems u and o are pivotally attached to a lever z, and at one end this lever is nor mally drawn downward by means of a retracting-spring a, while the other end of the lever is pivotally connected, by means of a link 6, to a longer lever c, pivotally mounted on the tank 8 at a point above the valves. One end of this lever carries a weight d, and its other end pivotally carries a thin-wall spherical tank 6, which when filled with water is about eight pounds heavier than the weight cl, and therefore overbalances the same.

Entering the bottom of the tank 6 is a T-couplingf, to which is connected a blowoff cock g and also one end of a flexible metallic pipe h; This metallic pipe 71/ is] connected at its other end, through the medium of a T-coupling i, a short pipe 9', another T-coupling 7c, and another short pipe Z to the tank 5, preferably at a point be low the connection thereto of the pipe 1. The couplings t" and 7c are provided with suitable blow-off cocks or plugs m.

It will be observed that in the absence of pressure upon the piston a, connected to the pump-throttle, the throttle will be normally opened by means of the spring 6 as the valvedisks are balanced and that by means of pressure upon the piston n the valves may be held closed against the action of said spring.

To hold the valves normally closed, it will be observed that the mechanism is so constructed that so long as the water-level in the boiler is above the entrance thereto of pipe the water will be forced up through said pipe t, tank 8, valve-chamb er q, pipe 2), and into the upper part of the cylinder m. The water will also be forced up into movable tank 6, throu h the connected pipes Z, j, and it, thus illing the tank and causing it to fall against the action of the weight d. I/Vhile the tank is thus in its lowermost position, the exhaust-valve a: is held closed and the inletvalve 1" is held off its seat against the tension of spring a, the valve-stein l) serving as a fulorum for the lever 2. The parts remain in this position until the water-line falls below the entrance to pipe t, whereupon steam i passes up through this pipe, and the water in the tanks and connecting-pipes connected to said pipe t runs back into the boiler by gravity. .When sufficient water has run out of the removable tank c to cause the weight (1 to overbalance the tank, and thus raise it, the first action is to seat valve w, thus closing communication between the boiler and the cylinder m, this closing of valve w being caused by the action of spring a in drawing down the valve-stem u as the ball-tank rises.

throttle and permit steam to pass on to t Then as the tank continues to rise the stem at in turn forms a fulcrum for the lever z in raising the exhaust-valve m from its seat, and when this valve is lifted from its seat the pressure is removed from the piston n, and the spring e is thus permitted to open the 118 ump and operate the same. As soon as the level of water in the generator is brought back to normal and the entrance to pipe t is therefore closed to water the steam-pressure in the boiler again forces water up into the movable tank and causes the same to again fall against the action of weight d. As it falls the eXhaust-valve a: is first closed, and then as it continues to fall the inlet-valve w is opened to thereby let water under pressure of the boiler to pass in on top of piston 11, and thereby close the pump-valve. It will thus be observed that the apparatus is entirely automatic in its action.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 it will be observed that instead of connecting the lever 0 directly to the ball-tank it is con nected by a link 19 with a pipe h which is a rigid pipe substituted for the flexible hose 71 The use of this rigid pipe 7L2 necessitates the use of a stufling-boX j in the short connecting-pipe 1'. Otherwise this modification is substantially the same as the form of apparatus shown in the other figures.

The low-water-alarm device embraces a vertical tank 0, which is desirably attached to but separated interiorly from the tank .9 and which is connected by a pipe 1) to the generator at the low-water or danger line thereof. The means for operating the whistle g, which is connected to the top of the tank 0, involves the employment of the same devices which operate the valves controlling the pump cut-oif that is to say, they consist of a ball-tank r, mounted on a lever s, which is pivoted at t to the side of the tank 0 and has connected to its other end a weight 1;. At a point between the weight and the tank a vertical link a is pivotally connected to the lever s, and the upper end of this link is connected to the whistle operating lever, which may be of the usual construction. 'I'he movable ball-tank r is connected to the tank 0 by the same arrangement of flexible pire connections as the tank 0, whereby when the water-level drops below the entrance to pipe 1) the water in the tank 0 and ball 1 will run out, thus permitting the balltank r to rise in response to the gravitation of the weight 1/, and thus operate the whistle. the steam for operating the whistle having passed up through pipe p and tank 0 to take the place of the water which has run out of the same back into the boiler.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a tank supported above the water-line of the generator and connected thereto only at the water-line so as to thereby be at all times filled with water while the water is above the water-line in the generator, a gravitating tank above the water-line and connected to the aforesaid tank so as to be kept normally filled with water and. a pivoted lever for supporting the same, a weight on said lever normally tending to raise the tank and being of such weight that the tank when filled with water will overbalance it, flexible pipe con nections between the gravitating tank and the stationary tank, and valve-operating means connected to said lever and adapted to operate when the tank is elevated by the weight.

2. In a boiler-feeder, the combination of a pump cut-ofl valve normally tending to open and means whereby said valve is held closed when the water-line is at or above normal,

said means embodying a pine connected to the generator at said water-line, a stationary tank above the water-level of the generator and connected with this nice, a gravitating tank above the waterlevel of the generator and flexible 'oi'pe connections between the same and said stationary tank, means for raising the gravitating tank when the water runs out of the same, a conduit connecting said stationary tank with the pump cut-ofi' and normally filled with water from the generator, and a valve arrangement in said conduit whereby when the movable tank rises communication is cut ofl between the stationary tank and the pump cut-oil, thereby ireventing either water or steam reaching the pump cut-otl', and communication is establish d between the pipe leading to the y-uzno cut-ofi' and the exhaust-passage to thereby release the pump cut-oil and permit it to open.

In combination with a generator, a stationary tank connected to the same at the water-line thereof so as to be kept normally filled with water, a gravitating tank and nreans kee' ing it in constant communication with said stationary tank, whereby this gravitating tank will be kept filled with water while the stationary tank is filled and will be ein'otied of water when the stationary tank is 6fi1"ti6l, means for normally raising the gravitating tank, a pump cut-oil in the steam-line of the pump, a water-conduit connecting the stationary tank to this iiuin'p cutof'l and serving to normally hold the cut-oil closed while said stationary tank is filled with water, an inlet-valve in said conduit, an exhaust or outlet pipe in said conduit, and

means connected to the gravitating tank whereby when said tank is lowered by the water in it the outlet-valve will be closed and the inlet-valve opened and vice versa.

4. In combination with a generator, a stationary tank connected to the same at the water-line thereof so as to be kept normally filled with water, a gravitating tank and means keeping it in constant communication with said stationary tank, whereby this gravitating tank will be kept filled with water while the stationary tank is filled and will be em' tied of water when the stationary tank is e ,otied, means for normally raising the gravitating tank, a pump cut-oit in the steam-line of the pump, a water-conduit connecting the stationary tank to this pump outoli and serving to normally hold the cut-off closed while said stationary tank is filled with water, an inlet-valve in said conduit, an exhaust or outlet pipe in said conduit, and means connected to the gravitating tank whereby when said tank is lowered by the water in it the outlet-valve will be closed and the inlet-valve will be opened and vice versa, said means embodying a lever pivotally connected to the gravitating tank and to both the stems of the valves, and a spring connecting the free end of the lever to the stationary part and normally tending to close both valves.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature, in the goresenee of two witnesses,

I this 27th day of October, 1906.

\ JOHN .F. SENTER. Witnesses JOHN I/VARMAOK,

IVM. BLAYLOEB. 

